The present invention relates to incontinence products, and more particularly to disposable incontinence products.
A wide variety of incontinence products have been developed for the incontinent adult. These products are typically disposable and include a water impervious barrier sheet and an absorbent material positioned thereon. In use, the waterproof barrier supports the absorbent material against the wearer's body, such that the absorbent material is positioned to absorb voided urine.
In one particularly effective product, the water impervious layer is formed as a flattened bag having a single opening proximate the perineal area of the wearer. An absorbent material is located within the bag and accessible through the opening. Examples of this type of diaper are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,285,342, entitled DISPOSABLE DIAPER, issued Aug. 25, 1981, to Mesek; 2,201,255, entitled DISPOSABLE DIAPER HOLDER, issued May 21, 1940, to Wilson; and 2,532,029, entitled DIAPER, issued Nov. 28, 1950, to Medoff.
However, these diapers are not without their drawbacks. Most importantly, the absorbent material within the bag is typically incapable of adequately rapidly absorbing a high flow rate of voided urine. Consequently, the voided urine will often overflow the diaper, resulting in the wetting of the wearer's clothes. Second, these diapers are best suited for women where the diaper bag opening can be located proximate the urethra to properly receive urine. These diapers are a problem for males wherein the position of the urethra outlet shifts with activity of the wearer and often is not directed into the bag opening at the time of voiding. If urine is voided when the urethra is not directed toward the opening, the urine simply flows off the water impervious bag and wets the wearer's clothes.
Although male drip absorbing devices are known, these devices typically do not include sufficient volume of absorbent to receive a full volume of voided urine. Further, known devices are awkward to use and expose the user to undesirable urine contact against large areas of the skin. Examples of known drip-absorbing products are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,873,740, entitled DISPOSABLE URINE DRIP ABSORBING DEVICE, issued Feb. 17, 1959, to Wainwright; and 2,445,220, entitled URINARY PAD, issued July 13, 1948, to Isaacson.